Mexico auto exports, output rise in June

Mexico produced 349,153 light vehicles last month, up from 346,522 in June 2017.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico light-vehicle exports, excluding those from manufacturer Nissan, rose 8.1 percent in June compared with the same month a year ago, while production during the month rose 0.8 percent, the country’s auto industry association AMIA said.

Mexico exported 260,966 light vehicles in June, up from 241,501 in the same month a year earlier, AMIA said, and produced 349,153 units last month, up from 346,522 in June 2017.

AMIA’s export data does not include figures for Japan’s Nissan Motor Co., which has stopped providing export figures.

Mexico’s auto industry has been plagued by uncertainty since U.S. President Donald Trump last year launched a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, seeking to repatriate manufacturing jobs to the United States.

The Trump administration aims to secure a bigger share of auto production for the United States under a revised NAFTA pact by insisting on tougher regional content requirements.

Earlier on Monday, Canadian, Mexican and U.S. auto trade associations urged a “renewed focus” in talks to reshape NAFTA.